'Surkus' Uses Crowdsourcing to Manufacture Lineups and Crowds

From the events industry to the hospitality industry, a big crowd outside a venue or inside a show can be essential for driving word of mouth and press coverage, and 'Surkus' is an app that uses the power of crowdsourcing to manufacture those gatherings. The app lets businesses pay people directly to come act as members of the crowd, filling spaces and contributing to an illusion that will hopefully become the norm.

Surkus lets businesses set prices per person for appearances, with the average earnings running from $25 to $40 a head. To ensure that the people in the crowd align with each company's image, companies can select the type of crowd they want based on interests gleaned from Facebook. Surkus also prevents the crowd actors from ditching halfway through the given task, using geolocation tracking to ensure that each member stays for the duration.